


Preparing for Battle

by Beatles_and_Bellarke



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Holy smokes this ended up being very long and I apologize, M/M, Multi, Oop, but I couldn’t stop writing, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24998479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatles_and_Bellarke/pseuds/Beatles_and_Bellarke
Summary: Dean comes to the realization his feelings are more than platonic. But with war looming, his fear grows as well. A fear he and Seamus will not see each other again. When the opportunity comes, Will he take it? And will war keep them apart a bit longer?
Relationships: Luna Lovegood & Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Preparing for Battle

Shell Cottage was quiet. In Dean’s opinion, almost too quiet. After everything that’s happened in the last few months, anytime he felt he could rest, he never relaxed enough to appreciate stillness. Fleur could tell Dean was agitated. Her eyes softened. She knocked on his door and carefully entered. 

“You are an artist, yes?” Dean jumped at the voice and faced Fleur at his bedroom door. 

“Yes, Mrs. Weasley I am.” 

“Please, call me Fleur,” she smiled, gently. “Go down to ze beach. It is quite nice to sketch.” Dean hadn’t considered that at all, but he was more than happy to leave the house for a while. He grabbed his sketchbook and pencils. With one last grateful half-smile at Fleur, he disappeared out the door. 

The beach wasn’t far from Shell Cottage. The breeze blew his clothes and crinkled the pages in his sketchbook. But he preferred it because this wasn’t silence. 

At first, he was drawing the horizon line or sand. But his brain needed something more muscle memory than backgrounds. It needed something else. So Dean flipped to an empty place in his notebook and lost himself in his work. After a solid 5 hours of sketching, Dean’s brain was tired and he was ready to go back to the cottage. He closed his notepad and trekked back to the house. 

Luna Lovegood sat at the table. Dean wasn’t used to her whimsy just yet, but she was harmless (except in duels, she was quite good at that) and they shared the same traumatic experience in Malfoy Manor so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her. He made himself some food and sat with her. 

“Hello, Dean.” She said, smiling brightly

“Hi Luna!” He could feel the conversation going absolutely nowhere. So he turned his attention to his food.

“I saw you at the beach. Well, through this window.” She said it like she was talking about the weather or an exam. Not the fact she was watching him, rather creepily through a window. 

“Oh?” Was all he could muster in reply. 

“What were you sketching?” Luna’s earnestness caught Dean off-guard momentarily. He recovered. 

“It was nothing.” 

“It looked like something. You were concentrating very hard.” 

“If i show you, don’t laugh okay?” Dean’s cheeks burned. He doubted she would laugh but he’s been criticized before for wanting to draw for the rest of his life so it was an automatic response. 

“I won’t, I promise. I swear on the Snorcack’s heart.” Her voice dropped low and serious at that last part. It was Dean who had to stifle a laugh. 

He flipped open to the sketch he was working on. His fingers traced the picture. Despite everything, at least his muscle memory was consistent. It was so familiar to him. The lines, the colors. All of it. Dean’s body sagged with worry and fear. He nearly forgot Luna was there until she spoke in a hushed voice. 

“Oh Dean. He’s beautiful.” Luna placed a hand on Dean’s arm. “You miss him, don’t you?” 

“More than anyone I’ve ever missed before. Except maybe my mother, step-dad and sisters.” Dean admitted. Even just the thought of Seamus was enough to engulf him. 

“But you miss him differently than your family.” Luna wasn’t asking a question. It came out far more as a statement. 

“What do you mean by that?” Dean felt himself go on the defensive. 

“I mean, Seamus is a different category altogether. He’s not your family in the same way your parents and sisters are. And he’s certainly not a friend like you and I or even you and Harry.” Her words smacked Dean with a realization. She was completely right. 

Seamus was different to him. He didn’t fit in any of those categories. He was far too close to be just a good friend. And he was family, but a different kind of family. They were best friends, of course. But even that felt odd to say. There was only one other way to possibly describe his feelings towards Seamus. Looking down at his drawing, Dean saw something in it he hadn’t before. He couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to find these words. 

“Luna, I think….I think I’m in love with Seamus Finnigan.” A weight lifted from Dean’s shoulders saying that sentence. Luna’s smile was so knowing and kind, Dean burst into tears. Tears of relief and new worry. He couldn’t make contact with Seamus. Harry, Ron and Hermione had already left so they couldn’t make contact with Seamus either. He had to sit with this feeling until he saw Seamus again, which could be years or more. 

“We’ll see everyone again soon.” Luna promised him, as if she knew what he was thinking. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Weeks went by at Shell Cottage. Dean became far more comfortable around Bill and Fleur. He assisted in various chores in the muggle way due to being wandless. Walls needed painted, a fence for the garden was erected and various other pick-ups around the house would have otherwise been delayed. 

Dean and Luna became closer as well. She taught him everything she knew about various creatures, he gave her drawing lessons. She already had some artistic talent but she was grateful for the pointers. They also talked about Neville and Seamus. Luna has had feelings for Neville as long as they’ve known each other. Dean knew for a fact, as one of Longbottom’s roommates, he felt the same. 

One particular day, they sat side-by-side drawing and painting. Dean’s pocket singed as his DA coin alighted. But he didn’t think much of it. The Magic was old and he wasn’t sure how long it really worked well. 

Suddenly an odd knock came at the door of the cottage. Both of them froze.  _ Had Snatchers found them?  _ Dean was first to the door with Luna close behind. He opened the door just enough to peek through the crack and find: 

“NEVILLE!” The energy Luna exuded pushing past Dean and straight into Neville’s arms was one Dean hoped he would have when he saw Seamus. He smiled at the two of them.

“Neville!! Come in!” Dean swung the door wide open. Neville stepped through the threshold clinging to Luna for dear life. “What brings you here?” 

“I tried to signal! But no one was picking up. Harry told us where we’d find you so I figured I’d pay you a visit.” Suddenly, the singeing of Dean’s pocket made a lot more sense. 

“How are the others?” 

“We are all alive. That’s the important thing. We’re preparing for war.” Neville’s expression was determination, one Dean assumed he had to acquire. It looked quite good on him. 

“Are you here to collect us, Neville?” Luna was practically shaking in excitement. Dean had never seen her like this. It warmed his heart. 

“Actually, yes. But only if you feel safe enough to come.” Neville glanced at Dean in particular when saying that. “We’re expecting Harry and the others to help us 

“We’d be happy to help in this fight. Hogwarts is our school as well isn’t it?” Dean set his jaw. 

“Yes exactly! What would you have us do?” Luna asked. 

“Wait here for my signal. And actually pay attention this time!” Neville winked at Dean, seeing the hole in his pocket. 

“Will do, Nev.” Dean replied, grinning. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A few days later, Dean and Luna sat at the counter when Luna’s coin began to glow. An elderly man who introduced himself as Aberforth Dumbledore appeared soon after. 

“It is time.” He said simply. Luna and Dean looked at each other and apparated with him to The Hog’s Head pub. 

“Uh….Sir? Why are we at the Hog’s Head?”

“There had to be a way to sneak students in and out of Hogwarts. In the time since you have been on the run, Mr. Thomas, there have been many changes to the school.” Aberforth’s words stung Dean like a paper cut. He didn’t realize Aberforth knew his name until much later and this detail did not matter in the long run. Aberforth led them to a tunnel Dean had never seen before in all his time. 

“In you go,” Aberforth motioned to the entrance. “The others will be waiting at the end.” Dean nodded in thanks and went first. Luna quickly followed. The tunnel felt longer than it was.  


All the while, Dean’s heart thumped in his chest. He was heading to Hogwarts for the first time this year. He’d see Seamus, Lavender and Parvati.  _ Seamus _ . The one person who despite not seeing him all this time, kept him sane. His nerves were getting the best of him. Luna placed a well-timed hand on his shoulder. 

“Everything will be fine, Dean.” She told him. He relaxed under her touch, grateful she was there. The end of the tunnel revealed a door. Voices were coming from the outside. Dean recognized Harry and Ron immediately. They were deep in discussions with Neville. Dean figured now was as good a time as any to enter the room. He swung the door open. 

“We got your message, Neville! Hello you three, I thought you must be here!”

Before Dean could react, Seamus bolted from the back of the group where he’d been sitting with Parvati and Lavender, both of whom smiled so bright their faces glowed. 

Seamus ran headlong into Dean’s arms. The room buzzed with an odd energy suddenly. While not everyone was focused on them, Dean felt like the world was watching. 

“I missed you.” Seamus said against Dean’s neck, clinging to him desperately. 

“I missed you as well. I have something important to tell you but let’s wait for the war to be ov-” Dean started to say as Seamus silenced him with an unexpected kiss. That did it. Every eye was on them. 

“If it had anything to do with how I feel then may as well just say it now.” Seamus’s eyes shined. 

“I love you, Shay.” Dean whispered for only Seamus to hear. 

“I love you too.” Seamus said, equally as quiet with a squeeze of his hand. They reentered the world again, upon hearing Luna excitedly greeting everyone. 

“Oh it’s so great to be back!” She turned to Neville, a dopey smile on her face which Dean was almost certain he mirrored looking at Seamus. Harry seemed to be taken aback by Luna being in the room. 

“Luna, what are you doing here? How did you-” Neville cut him off, explaining he’d summoned her and Dean to the school. 

“We all thought that if you came back that meant revolution. We could overthrow Snape and the Carrows.” Neville’s look of hope made Dean’s heart twinge. 

Judging by Seamus’s physical injuries and the general state of everyone else around him, this year was not a typical final year at school. 

Harry seemed to think that too, but he also had his own mission to complete and an agitation in his mannerisms that told Dean his friend’s focus was not present. 

“We aren’t back for that. This is something we have to do.” Harry looked around at all their faces. Dean could tell he hadn’t planned on such a welcome. 

More likely, Harry wanted to slip in and out unnoticed. But Neville was raring to go and the other members of the DA also shouted and said they wanted to help. 

“Alright fine. We’re looking for something. A horocrux, in the castle.” The group spent a bit of time discussing where Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem could be and then the battle preparations began. 

Hermione found Dean a bit later with Lavender (who still held a bit of a grudge with Hermione for last year), Parvati and Seamus. 

“I’m so happy for you two.” She smiled. Dean grinned back, taking Seamus’s hand in his.

“Thanks Hermione.” Dean choked out, a smile on his face as wide and bright as could possibly be. Whatever they faced, they did so together and that’s more than Dean was hoping for. 


End file.
